Busch Gardens Welcomes Two Baby Giraffes

Two baby giraffes were born at the Busch Gardens this summer, according to media reports.

The baby reticulate giraffes were born in June, The Tampa theme park said. One of the female giraffes, Cupid, gave birth to a healthy, male calf, June 11. This is Cupid's seventh calf. The calf weighed about 188 pounds and over 6 feet tall.

The other mum, Tesa, gave birth to her sixth calf, June 19. This giraffe was a healthy female and weighed about 145 pounds and standing 5 feet 8 inches tall. The gestation period for a giraffe is between 14 and 15 months. The females give birth, standing.

The baby giraffes at the park were standing an hour after birth and began nursing after two hours, according to a blog by Busch Gardens.

Reticulate giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata) have the most distinctive patches of the eight subspecies of giraffes. They have brown, regular and box-like patterns on their coats. The patches are so closely placed that the giraffe looks like it is wearing a net. These giraffes can be found in Somalia, Ethiopia and north-eastern Kenya.

There are about 100,000 giraffes left in Africa though some subspecies are almost extinct and only about 100 individual giraffes exist now. Poachers target giraffes for their hair and skin.

The baby giraffes are at the Serengeti Plain at Busch Gardens.